<p> FEUDALSIM - Feudalism was an economic, political and social organization in the Middle Ages which helped to bring order to Europe.</p><p>Kin g</p><p>Great er Lords</p><p>Obligation of military service and custom Lesser Lords</p><p>Knights</p><p>Townspeople</p><p>Obligation of Serfs Land and Labor</p><p>- Feudalism was a hierarchical social structure. - The KING was at the top of the feudal structure. He was the overlord. - The GREATER LORDS were his vassals. They were bound to the king and they had to provide military service to him in exchange for vast amounts of land. These lands were known as fiefs. - The greater lords divided their vast lands amongst the LESSER LORDS. The lesser lords were their vassals and owed the greater lords military service. - The lesser lords further divided their lands between their KNIGHTS. Medieval knights were trained warriors. Their job was to fight and they were trained from childhood in the art of war. Knights wore armor and rode horses. The lowest knights had no vassals and controlled just enough land for their families’ homes.</p><p>- The commoners were below the lowest knights. Most were farm laborers known as peasants. Others were artisans (blacksmiths, carpenters, priests, etc…)</p><p>- Originally free, peasants needed the protection of a lord in times of war. In return for this protection, the peasants provided all manual labor for the lord’s estate (ie planting, harvesting, tending farm animals, etc…) By the 11th century, peasants became SERFS. They were not slaves (they could not be sold), but they could also not leave the estate. They were bound to the land.</p><p>- The new middle class that began emerging in the 11th century with the birth of towns were known as TOWNSPEOPLE. They included free citizens and serfs who had escaped their estates or bought their freedom. The townspeople worked as merchants or skilled craftspeople. Eventually they were able to buy their own lands and were no longer dependent on lords, thus forming the middle class.</p>